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All 72 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 37 Assembly seats were needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||
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 Results of the election, showing winners in each seat. Seats without member charts indicate the electorate returned one member. | ||||||||||||||||
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The 1860 New South Wales colonial election was held between 6 December and 24 December 1860. This election was for all of the 72 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and it was conducted in 52 single-member constituencies, six 2-member constituencies and two 4-member constituencies, all with a first past the post system.[2] Suffrage was limited to adult white males. This was the first election after the separation of Queensland in December 1859.
The previous parliament of New South Wales was dissolved on 10 November 1860 by the Governor, Sir William Denison, on the advice of the Premier, John Robertson.
While there was no recognisable party structure at this election, the Sydney Morning Herald identified three main factions in the Legislative Assembly. 38 members were considered to support the government, 11 were in opposition, and a further 23 that supported Henry Parkes or were uncommitted to supporting the government.[1]
Although Robertson won the election, he relinquished the premiership to Charles Cowper to concentrate on passing land reform bills as Secretary of Lands.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 10 November 1860 | The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. |
| 5 December to 21 December 1860 | Nominations for candidates for the election closed. |
| 6 December to 24 December 1860 | Polling days. |
| 10 January 1861 | Opening of new Parliament. |
Results
|
New South Wales colonial election, 6 December 1860 – 24 December 1860 [2] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrolled voters | 91,410 | |||||
| Votes cast | 46,308 | Turnout | 42.91 [a] | –9.63 | ||
| Informal votes | 48 | Informal | 0.17 | +0.09 | ||
| Summary of votes by party | ||||||
| Party | Primary votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | |
| Total | 46,308 | 72 | ||||
References
- ^ a b c "THE ELECTIONS". The Sydney Morning Herald. Vol. XLII, no. 7039. New South Wales, Australia. 29 December 1860. p. 4. Retrieved 31 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c Green, Antony. "1860 election totals". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- "Former members of the New South Wales Parliament, 1856-2006". New South Wales Parliament.
See also
- Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1860–1864
- Candidates of the 1860 New South Wales colonial election
This page was last edited on 31 May 2024, at 02:36